Blog

My family has been making succotash for generations. We make it the old-fashioned way, not by opening cans. This is our recipe: 1. 4 slices of thick bacon (diced) or a good sized piece of salt pork (diced) 2. 1 medium yellow onion (diced) Bring meat and onion to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes 3. Add 2 cups of beans (we use French horticulture in the green stage, before they dry) Simmer until beans are falling apart 4. Add 4 cups of fresh... Read more →

Last week I sowed 30 Beefsteak Tomato seeds and several pots of Basil.This morning I checked and the little seedling are peeking through the soiless mix. Such a happy site. I will now remove the plastic film, which makes sort of a little temporary greenhouse, and place the seedlings very close to a grow light.My Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbages,Broccoli,and California Wonder Peppers plants are growing rapidly.The cabbage and broccoli seeds were sown about 5 weeks ago and will be set out in the garden as soon as the soil can... Read more →

There are a wide range of fruits you may be able to produce at home. These are long term investments in your property which are able to round out your diet and improve your self reliance. I encourage everyone to grow as many different kinds of fruit as possible. You could be harvesting one or more every month from June through October or even later. Consider all the kinds of fruit suitable for your climate. Food you buy in the store will never taste as good as home grown. Growing... Read more →

Last week I finished shucking my last half bushel of beans. These are some of the beans that were harvested from last years garden.We are enjoying the canned vegetables and fruit that we put up last Summer. Next month I will be sowing cabbage, broccoli and pepper seeds. I start them in my kitchen under grow lights. By keeping them close by I can keep a watchful eye on them. Spring will be here before you know it but for now we sit by our wood cook stove well fed... Read more →

It is now mid Summer and we have been eating out of our garden for quite some time now. The first crop of spinach was a great success and I was able to freeze some for Winter months. I planted a second crop of beets about a month ago and they are growing well. The first crop are ready to eat and can. My family loves pickled beets.Yesterday I dug 4 hills of new potatoes. I cooked some for dinner last night and they were beyond delicious!! Read more →

Every morning I check my garden. What am I looking for? Bugs!!This growing season has been especially wet so bugs are multiplying rapidly.Some are beneficial like the sweet little lady bug but most are in competition for my food. I hand pick what I can and use an organic insecticide spray where I can not hand remove.Recently I made my own natural insecticide recipe. I added a half cup cooking oil, 1 level tsp. of cayenne pepper, and the rest of a quart spray bottle with slightly warm water.This needs... Read more →

Two weeks ago I planted started cabbage and broccoli plants in our garden. They are growing nicely. Today I will work the soil around them and add a little more fertilizer. I also sowed lettuce, spinach, dill, beets and potatoes. The lettuce, spinach and beets are coming up nicely. No sign of the potatoes yet. When they start to pop though the soil I will bring more soil around them. Eventually there will be a mound of soil around each potato plant. Still in my kitchen, under grow light,are our... Read more →

This week, the first week of March, I will be starting my pepper and cabbage plants. I have the seedling mix, pots, table and grow lights set up in a corner of the kitchen. All I need to do is sow my seeds and wait until the magic happens. Little seedlings popping up! Very exciting. At the end of this month I will sow my tomato seeds. Read more →

It is that time of the year again. The leaves are turning bright yellow, orange and red. The air feels crisp and chilly. Our Fall harvest is complete.This year we raised about 3 dozen Sugar Pie Pumpkins.They will be used in pies and breads. We also add pureed pumpkin when making corn bread. This provides extra nutrition,texture and moisture. One of my most cherished memories of my grandmother is her pumpkin bread. When she baked pumpkin bread the entire house had a sweet spicy aroma that I will never forget.... Read more →

The first canning of the season began yesterday when 14 pints of Bread & Butter pickles made it into mason jars. My family loves this recipe and I needed to replenish last years supply.You can find this recipe in one of my videos on Seed for Security site. Read more →